Private school operators in New Brunswick are welcoming a policy proposal from a Progressive Conservative leadership candidate to use public tax dollars to subsidize their operations.
Don Monahan is proposing a tax credit to reduce the costs for families who enrol their children in private schools, one of the few concrete policy ideas in the PC leadership race.
Monahan said making alternative schooling more affordable would give parents more choices while a PC government addresses issues such as crowded classrooms, low assessment scores and absenteeism.
“Number one is providing access and affordability,” said Monahan, the MLA for Arcadia-Butternut Valley-Maple Hills. “Number two is parental choice. Number three is fiscal restraint, and number four is simplicity.”
He estimates a $5,000 tax credit to reduce a family’s taxable income would save them $470 to $1,015 per child, depending on their income and their tax rate.
WATCH | ‘It is difficult for a lot of families’: Private schools welcome policy pitch:
Public money for private schools? One PC politician says yes
Tory leadership candidate Don Monahan is proposing tax credits for families who opt out of public schools.
The number of students enrolled in private schools increased from 1,687 in 2021-22 to 2,339 in 2025-26, according to the Department of Education and Early Child Development.
Private school operators say they’ve seen more interest in their schools, but not all the families who inquire can afford the fees.
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